kahuna

See also: kāhuna

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Hawaiian kahuna (“shaman, wizard”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kəˈhuːnə/
• Rhymes: -uːnə

Noun

kahuna (plural kahunas or kahuna)

1. (Hawaii) A priest or priestess of the traditional Hawaiian religion.
   • 2012, Julia Flynn Siler, Lost Kingdom, Grove Press, page 230:

     They were kāhuna, practitioners of the old Hawaiian religion, apparently offering themselves as sacrifices to appease the gods so that the queen would be restored.

2. (surfing) A great surfer.

Derived terms

• big kahuna

Anagrams

• Hanuka, Nuhaka

Hawaiian

Etymology

Compound of kahu (“guardian, master”) +‎ -na (nominalizing suffix; compare Maori -nga).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈhu.na/, [kəˈhunə]

Noun

kahuna (irregular plural kāhuna)

1. priest, sorcerer, magician, minister, wizard
2. expert in any profession (doctors, surgeons, dentists were referred to as such in the 1845 laws)

Derived terms

• hoʻokahuna